Becoming Draco
by Cabin3Demigod
Summary: Love comes in many forms: in friendship, in loyalty, in lovers. When Draco loses all of these, he turns to his new found relation for comfort: Hagrid. With his new Uncle, will Draco make new friends and turn to the good side before it's too late?


**A/N Written for the Inter-house Relations Challenge on HPFC! I just thought it'd be cool to write a Draco/Hagrid fic, considering how much Draco seemingly hates him. Takes place in fifth year.**

"Drake?"

Draco looked up from his plate of toast, only to see Pansy Parkinson staring at him. There was a hint of worry in her bright eyes. He smiled lightly at her and said, "Yes, Pansy?"

"Oh, nothing. You just seem…down," Pansy replied. She was instantly engrossed in her twirling fingers.

"I'm not, so don't worry your pretty little head about it. OK?" Draco lied.

Pansy grinned and took the unoccupied seat next to him, grabbing onto a cup of orange juice. She seemed happy. Draco, on the other hand, was not. Indeed, Pansy had been right. Draco had been…down. He was sure that she, among many others, would feel _down _too if they had just figured out that they were related to the biggest oaf around. Draco's mother had written a letter to Draco about it. He'd received it during breakfast, which nonetheless meant that he had received the dreadful news only fifteen minutes prior.

Draco would have felt a little better if he hadn't known his newfound relation. But, as usual, he had no such luck. It just so happened that Draco's new relation was not only his Uncle and Godfather, but his Care of Magical Creatures Professor. And on top of all that, the oaf in question was a giant. A bloody _half_-giant. He wasn't even a _full_ giant. The oaf was shameful to even his own kind.

Draco sighed, abandoning his plate. He'd lost his appetite thinking of his 'Uncle.' Was he expected to call him that now? Even if he was, he certainly wouldn't. At least not in public. He couldn't have his friends thinking that he was related to the giant, even more so his enemies. Although, it would be great to see the look on Potter's face when he found out that his beloved friend was also Draco's Uncle…

_Nah_, Draco thought. _Not even I could be so cruel_. Draco lifted his head once more to survey the perimeter. Blaise and Pansy were sitting closest to him, both chatting and obviously worried about him. They kept on looking at Draco out of the corners of their eyes, as if he didn't notice them. He rolled his eyes and gazed across the room. The usual Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs. This most naturally meant the usual Hermione, Harry, and Ron in Draco terms. The trio was chatting about some idiotic plan of theirs. Draco could tell because they each took turns staring around themselves as one of the others spoke. Hermione was an exceptional whisperer, but Ron and Harry were so loud that they might as well be belting their plans across the grounds. _Moving right along…_

Draco focused on inanimate objects at first, like his plate. There was a barely touched piece of toast sitting in the center with a small container of marmalade on its corner. Draco's cup of coffee wasn't touched as well, and his fork was unsurprisingly clean. The floor was as dirty as it should be, the walls as clean as they should be. Staring at tedious things like these made Draco finally give up on his waiting. He forced his eyes to the one place he'd been meaning to avoid. The Professors' table. There they were: McGonagall, Dumbledore, Flitwick, Snape…but no Hagrid. _Thank Merlin…_

"Listen, guys," Draco said, standing. "I'm heading back up to the Commons. I've got some…Potions studying to do. Dad wants me to brush up a bit." Draco laughed falsely.

"You sure about that?" Blaise inquired, taking a swig of pumpkin juice. Pansy stared at her plate. She was on the verge of tears. She was a strong girl, but she chose to show her pain instead of hide it as she usually would. Pansy was vulnerable with Draco, so he took a moment to take in the desperate tears that she had undoubtedly meant for him to notice before replying.

"I'm fine, guys, really," Draco said. He kneeled down and gave Pansy a peck on the cheek. His lips tasted of salt for a moment, but the taste quickly faded. "See you two later." He stepped back. "Try and find Crabbe and Goyle for me. I'd like to…speak with them." Deciding it was best not to elaborate, Draco spun on his heel and walked toward the Great Hall's doors. Draco not being able to see the two boys in the past week had been no secret, but he didn't really want to voice it out loud, regardless. Pansy would know his plans as soon as he said their names. Draco continued walking, erasing his mind of all thoughts. Except for one. He kept his head bent, just in case a certain someone-or, more likely, some_thing_-decided to appear. _Just walk Draco. Walk swiftly before Hagrid pops out of…_

"Well, hello there Draco!"

_Nowhere. _

Draco looked up, fear in his eyes. Just as he suspected, the overly large boots he was staring at belonged to none other than Hagrid. Draco was scared and furious at the same time. Why was he here? Why wasn't he at the Professors' table? And why oh why did he have to pop up at the worst times, like this one, for example?

"Hagrid," Draco whispered. He studied the giant's long, black beard, marveled at his height…Heck, Draco even gazed into his Uncle's beetle-black eyes.

"Feelin' alrigh'?" Hagrid asked. That hint of worry was in his eyes too, though Draco believed it to be caused by something other than what Pansy and Blaise had been concerned about.

"Yes, sir."

"Alrigh' then. " Hagrid grunted. He smiled knowingly as he strolled down the aisle leading up to his designated table.

Draco frowned, somewhat confused. That was it? That had been all Hagrid had wanted to say? Draco had expected much more. Perhaps Hagrid was just waiting for them to be out of the public eye. If that was the case, then Hagrid cared about Draco's feelings more than Draco had expected. Hagrid was also possibly as upset about the newfound relation as Draco was. Shrugging, Draco made his way out of the Great Hall. He would rather be confronted in front of Hagrid's crazy pets than in front of his girlfriend, lackeys, and best mates, if that was what Hagrid planned to do. One thing was for sure, though. Draco was safe from any exposure…at least for the next hour or so, while he had Potions. Then he would have to see his 'Uncle' again.

_Not so bad for the first encounter_, he thought blissfully.


End file.
